Hogsett Announces More Evansville-Area Results from the Violent Crime Initiative

INDIANAPOLIS—Joseph H. Hogsett, U.S. Attorney, announced today at a press conference in Evansville that two additional individuals have been charged as part of the crime initiative Hogsett initiated last month. Richard Gorman, also known as Ricky Gorman, 31, Evansville, Ind., was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and unlawful possession of body armor after conviction for a crime of violence, following a joint federal-state investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Joint Drug Task Force.

According to a criminal complaint issued on April 22, 2011, Gorman was arrested in September of 2010, after leading police on high-speed chase through numerous residential areas of Evansville. During the chase, Gorman tossed a plastic bag containing methamphetamine out the window of the vehicle he was driving.

Shortly after his arrest, law enforcement agents searched Gorman’s residence located on Spring Valley in Evansville and found a loaded Hi-Point .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun, a bullet-proof vest (body armor), and two Chandler Police Department shirts.

The indictment alleges that at the time Gorman possessed the semiautomatic handgun and body armor, he had previously been convicted of burglary in Vanderburgh County Circuit Court in 1997 and two separate cases of possession of methamphetamine in Vanderburgh County Circuit Court in 2004.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry D. Glickman, who is prosecuting the case for the government, Gorman faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $500,000.00 fine. An initial hearing will be scheduled in Evansville before a U.S. Magistrate Judge.

In addition, Raymond L. Pearson, II, 44, of Boonville, Ind., was indicted for bank robbery following an investigation by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the Indiana State Police and the Warrick County Sheriff’s Department.

The indictment charging Pearson alleges that on April 9, 2011, Pearson entered the Elberfeld State Bank on Main Street in Warrick County, brandished a starter gun, and removed approximately $2,100 from the bank.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger, who is prosecuting the case for the government, Pearson faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

These cases were indicted pursuant to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Violent Crime Initiative. In March of this year, U.S. Attorney Hogsett announced a strategy to combat drug traffickers and criminals that use and carry firearms in their illegal activities.

This is a district-wide initiative headed up by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Drug Unit that will reduce drug trafficking and violent crime by targeting and vigorously prosecuting violent, repeat offenders and criminal gangs, especially those who use firearms to further their illegal endeavors and criminal enterprises. The United States Attorney’s office will aggressively employ a multi-agency law enforcement approach to investigate, arrest, and aid in the prosecution of these violent, repeat offenders and criminal organizations.

Hogsett has named Assistant United States Attorney Barry D. Glickman to spearhead this initiative.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.